


Energon Crystal

by Magical_Bot



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, Alternate Universe - Sailor Moon, Gen, Mainly inspired by the manga / Dark Kingdom arc, Robots in Miniskirts, There are elements from PGSM too!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-06-10 06:06:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6942874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Bot/pseuds/Magical_Bot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young Orion Pax discovers that he is the reincarnation of one of the legendary Autobot Guardians, who were in charge of protecting Cybertron and the Prime bearing the Energon Crystal. With the help of his soon to be found Autobot comrades and the spirit of Solus, he must now vanquish Cybertron from the evil Decepticons! A multiverse AU mainly inspired by Transformers Animated with a Sailor Moon-esque story.</p><p>The tags will be updated as the story goes on to avoid spoilers!</p><p>[This fic is on indefinite hiatus for the moment. I want to finish it sometime in the future but it'll be a very long ride. The first two chapters can be read as a standalone origin story.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Orion Pax

**Author's Note:**

> There it is... my very first fanfiction! I've been reading fanfiction for a very long time, but I hadn't planned on sharing any of my crazy AUs with anyone up until now. Sailor Moon and Transformers are two series that mean a lot to me and helped me trough a lot of though situations, and I always thought that robots in magical girl outfits was cute, so this crossover was bound to happen at some point.
> 
> This fan fiction wouldn't be possible without the collaboration of kirkeyressa, who helped a ton with the wording of this story! English isn't my first language, and she does an amazing job helping me describe the characters I am trying to portray here, especially about how they act and feel.
> 
> As a small warning, characters may end up being a little OOC since I am building them from the ground up and fitting them with Sailor Moon characters at the same time. Also, if you enjoy having background music while reading, I recommend listening to your favourite Sailor Moon soundtrack! For reference, I've mostly written this while listening to Sailor Moon Crystal's original soundtrack.
> 
> With hat being said, I hope that you enjoy your read!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orion Pax discovers that he is the reincarnation of one of the legendary Autobot Guardians, who were in charge of protecting Cybertron and the Prime bearing the Energon Crystal.

There are many, wondrous galaxies, inhabited by many stars and planets yet unknown to the very advanced beings that are the Cybertronians. Thousands of mechs and femmes are still attempting to study, explain and understand the wonder that is the universe. Yet, for each new conquest, victory and discovery, millions of secrets and unanswered questions still remain. A vast, beautiful mystery.

And it is of this fascination that a young mech dreamed of this fateful night.

His name is Orion Pax. A young, very promising mech, dubbed as the perfect student by most of his entourage. Kind, compassionate, a great listener and advisor, loves to help out, good grades and great looks; he really has it all. Rumours even state that the famous war hero Ratchet is one of his very good acquaintances. However, that’s all most bots really see him as.

In fact, no one, save for a few, seem to know who the real Orion Pax is. No one knows his interests, hobbies, or even if he has any true friends. His perfect image exceeds above all else for the sake of pleasing the public. It was a facade preserved by the crushing pressure given to him every single orn .

But that wasn’t what Orion Pax was thinking of tonight, for he was carefully studying and appreciating the breath-taking view of the universe he was currently dreaming about. He wasn’t dreaming like this often - he normally liked to spend most of his nights reading data-pads about the various mysteries surrounding Cybertron, but this one exception made him relish this moment of peace.  

“If only every dream could be as beautiful as this one”, Orion mumbled to himself, “then I wouldn’t have to worry about failures and deceptions every time I recharge.”

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sudden appearance of a white, blinding light. The brightness made him cover his optics with his servos, blocking most of it from his view. Before he could understand what had caused it, a voice startled him.

“Raise your helm high, Optimus.”

The voice was both gentle and commanding. Was it talking to him? His name was Orion, not Optimus … He reasoned that both designations were similar, so he decided to satisfy his curiosity instead.

Without fear, Orion raised his optics to its source, seeing a giant figure of a vaguely old-looking cybertronian bathed in a sea of light; the unclear image made it difficult to understand what its shape was like. The figure was so imposing that he almost hesitated to ask who, or what, it was.

“My name is Primus,” the silhouette stated, “ Life-Giver of the original Guardians of Cybertron , Creator of Cybertron.” Primus let the information sink in before adding, “I came to you to deliver a message. You are the reincarnation of one of the Guardians”.

“The legendary Guardians? As in, the Autobot Guardians who supposedly protected Cybertron during the Great War?”, curiously asked Orion. Primus nodded .

“Yes; a new Great War is coming. You shall become one with the spark of a legendary Guardian . Find your comrades and fight for the freedom of all cybertronians. With their help, you shall also find the Energon Crystal and the next Prime, protecting them with your life. Soon, one of these spirits will come to you.”

The Energon Crystal? A new Prime? War? What was this “Primus” talking about? Was he actually predicting his future? Orion did not want to believe any of the stranger’s sayings - but his spark was telling him otherwise. He wanted to believe that all of this was true, but it all seemed so improbable and, dare he say, as supernatural as some old cybertronian legends he read about in various data-pads. Despite his desires for it to be real, he highly doubted it. It was only a dream after all… right?

As if he sensed his doubt, Primus responded, “Do not fret, my child. Your destiny will soon be revealed to you.” But before Orion could ask any questions, the mech yelled , “May you vanquish Cybertron from evil and protect the Energon Crystal!”

“No, Wait! I still have so many questions! Why do you call me Optimus? What are these “Autobots” and this “Prime” you speak of?What is the Energon Crystal and why is it so important?”

“Seek the Energon Crystal…!” was the only reply the bewildered mech got.

The light became brighter and brighter, until Orion’s vision faded to white.

 

* * *

 

Orion bolted awake, his systems overheating and his fans working up like they were gasping for air. A data-pad about the legends of the Autobot Guardians fell next to his berth; he had fallen into recharge while reading the first chapter about the supposed origins of the guardians themselves. “Primus, that was a weird dream!” Orion panted. “hopefully that will not happen again. I’ll have to watch out about reading this data-pad before I recharge.”

Orion had read about the Original Guardians of Cybertron before. It was one of the oldest and most known legends of Cybertron, in which the Autobot Guardians fought for peace and vanquished the evil forces of the Decepticon invaders from their home planet. The millions of years that followed were labelled as the Golden Age of Cybertron, for the planet hadn’t known war since. In fact, the legend had even created a religious cult in which Cybertronians prayed for the Guardian’s protection, as most believed that the planet was at peace because they kept it from evil’s harm. Orion Pax, however, still thought of it as a myth that had yet to be proven, as there was no concrete proof of any guardian’s existence.

The young mech looked at his internal clock; by Primus, he was going to be late for school! He bolted from the bed straight to his mirror, checking himself to make sure he still looked clean.

Orion was overall a good-looking mech; not quite average, but not too flashy either. His rounded chassis made him look very young despite the fact the he was 14 cycles old - and he honestly felt complexed about it. How was he supposed to compare to all the other stronger-looking, fully armored young mech at the Academy if his appearance made him appear like a youngling? At least he had a good taste in paint and polish, shown on his chassis painted blue, red and silver with subtle touches of yellow. Needless to say, Orion wasn’t the kind of mech following painting trends and fads or wearing accessories to woo the other bots, but he still cared about his appearance enough to make a good impression whenever he needed to, just enough make sure that he was clean.

His small room was simple, clean and tidy, with a berth placed right next to a small window, a desk, a mirror attached to the wall and shelves full of data-pads about various legends and myths from Cybertron. His collection was probably the only thing interesting about this space, for the rest of it seemed rather dull and lifeless except for a few decorative objects here and there. Sometimes, a pile of data-pads were spread on the floor right next to his berth, seeing how he read before recharging every orn.

 A series of knocks at his berthroom’s door brought the mech out of his short contemplation. “Kid! You’re gonna to be late!” barked someone through the metallic walls.

“I know, Ratchet! I’m coming!”

Ratchet was Orion’s caretaker. Also known as Dr. Ratchet by many, he is one of Cybertron’s best, if not the best medics around, and helped save multiple lives despite his rather bad bedside manners. His broken chevron, his old-looking chassis and orange and white paint similar to that of an ambulance demonstrated how much of a worker the mech was - and still is. From Orion’s understanding, Ratchet was a great friend of his creators, but the young mech can hardly picture a life without the old mech , mainly because he had been with him for far too long to remember anything significant about his early life .

Fixing his audios one last time and grabbing his bag with a few data-pads, including the one about the legendary Autobot Guardians, Orion bolted through the door before Ratchet could add anything else. “Your energon cube is on the counter! Be sure to take it with you!” Ordered the old mech while Orion was running down the stairs, tumbling down and landing on his backside with a loud “ouch!”.

“Kid, are you alright? Clumsiness isn’t really your thing…” inquired the doctor.

“I’m fine, Ratchet! And please stop calling me ‘kid ’ , I’m no youngling … You know I don’t like that nickname.” retorted Orion while getting on his peds.

“Yeah, whatever you say, kid. Just don’t forget your cube. Have a nice day!”

“It’s _Orion_ , Ratchet! I’m off to the Academy! See you this evening!” The mech yelled, bolting outside. Petty arguments like these were common in Orion’s home; most bots though Ratchet was too harsh on him and that he had less than likeable bedside manners while working with his patients , but Orion had learned over time that it was just how the old mech showed that he cared. A little bit of tough love hadn’t harmed a mech before after all! However, there was one thing: Orion had forgotten his energon despite Ratchet’s reminder. And the old mech certainly wasn’t going to bring it to him.

“Kids these days…” though Ratchet out loud when he saw the cube, “They can’t even refuel properly anymore. How many times will I have to tell Orion not to forget his energon?”

 

* * *

 

Orion transformed into his truck-like alt-mode as soon as he got outside, throwing his bag on his front seats. He normally preferred to go to the Academy using his peds, which let him read more data-pads as he walked, but he didn’t have the luxury of time this morning.

“Why did I _have_ to wake up late this orn?” the mech told himself, “I could easily have avoided this stressful situation!”. Having time to continue reading his data-pad would also have been nice.

Orion speeded down the road, but not enough to break the speed limit, of course . “Maybe I should stop reading so much before recharging, that way this situation would never happen again!” Unfortunately, he wasn’t very good at following his own advice.

Still worried about the possibility of being late, the young mech continued to roll. As he observed the horizon in search of the Academy’s rooftop, which would immediately reassure him, Orion noticed something strange. It was some kind of flashing light ball falling from the sky, similar to a shooting star or a meteor.

Orion focused his optics on the unidentified flying object for a second. Shooting stars and meteor couldn’t easily be seen in daylight… right? He doubted for a second, when he noticed that the “star” seemed to get closer and closer to him.

Just as he realized that the object was flying towards him, Orion sensed a very short and sudden contact on his bumper. The collision was light however, and didn’t damage him. “Did I just hit something?” he asked out loud, looking around. However, its source was long gone, as if it had never happened. Was it his imagination?

“What’s with my processor constantly seeing bright light sources and imagining things this orn?”, Orion grumbled. “My optics must be playing tricks on me. I definitely should get more recharge. Maybe I wouldn’t be seeing weird things as much.” As he finished his sentence, the Academy’s bell rang.

“I have no time to think about this! I’m already late!“, Orion panicked, sprinting down the road. If he got the speed just right, there was a chance that he was going to barely make it to his first class.

Meanwhile, the tiny, glowing white orb observed the young mech from above. A feminine-looking silhouette could be seen through it if one looked carefully.

“I’ve finally found you, Optimus,” stated to orb before discretely following her charge.

 

* * *

 

Orion had barely made it to the Academy . Just as he sat to his desk, the first period’s bell had finished ringing. Needless to say, most of his classmates were surprised to see that even the perfect student could arrive on the nick of time.

His morning classes went just fine - they just seemed to go on and on, like they were never going to end. After all, Orion hadn’t refuelled this morning, which made it more difficult for him to concentrate. He thought of drinking his energon during his short breaks multiple times, but decided against it in order to avoid any tank aches.

The realization that he had actually forgotten his fuel at home made him dread his day even more. “This orn keeps getting better and better," Orion sarcastically thought. Now he had to tough out his empty tanks the rest of the day.

Orion reached for his bag, taking the data-pad about the legendary Guardians once again. If he wasn’t going to refuel, he might as well attempt to learn more about what this “Primus” was supposedly talking about in his dreams. He started reading from chapter one again, which was about the origins of the Autobot Guardians.

“ _The Legendary Autobot Guardians_ ,” it stated, “ _were cybertronians chosen by Primus during the first Decepticon invasion. Due to Primus’s blessing, they acquired mystical abilities, permitting them to control multiple elements of Cybertron."_

Chosen by Primus? So far, this was similar to what Orion had dreamt about during his recharge-cycle. He did tell him that he was chosen as a reincarnation of the guardians, so that much made sense.

_“Each Autobot guarded a part of our planet, protecting the civilians and acting as a peace-keeper between them and the Decepticons. Together, they also kept the Prime, their leader and the ruler of Cybertron, from harm. It was also said that the Prime possessed the Energon Crystal, which was a mystical source of enormous power…”_

“What are you reading, Orion?”

Startled, the young mech could only close his data-pads as fast as he could and hide it with his servos. “Nothing special, Ariel!” he blurted out . Of course, his friend had to interrupt him just when he was getting to the important part of his reading.

“Orion, are you alright?”, inquired the young femme. “You seem a bit out of it.”

“You took me by surprise. I doubt that you would react any other way if you were in the same situation,” replied Orion defensively . “I also forgot to bring fuel with me, and I am starving, but besides that, I guess I’m fine . Thank you for asking.”

“And I am sorry for that. Now, what were you reading about this time? Was it interesting?” She smiled.

Ariel was one of Orion’s only friend, if not his best friend. In fact, she was probably the only other bot he knew that was actually interested about ancient cybertronian myths and legends, and they often discussed and shared theories together along with talking about other various topics.

The young femme also looked quite beautiful with her yellow, black and aqua chassis, a cute ponytail-like helm and a well-cared for skirt armour. She had a few secret admirers, though she had never shown any interest in any of them.

“Hey, Ariel, Orion! What are you talking about?”, asked Sentinel, walking towards the duo.

“We were talking about the legend of the Autobot Guardians,” replied Ariel, “You know, the one that induced a religious cult?”

“This kind of stuff again? Sounds boring...”

Sentinel, another one of Orion’s friends, if you could call him that, was one bot that was quite difficult to tolerate if you didn’t know him well. The mech’s honesty, confidence and lack of delicacy were so high that it was difficult not to take him for a complete jerk; in fact, most other bots preferred avoiding having to argue with the mech. His large blue chassis, along with his huge chin and constant sceptical look didn’t help him either.

Sentinel was also definitely not someone interested in Ancient Cybertron. After all, what was the point of knowing what was in the past when there was the present?

“It’s not boring, Sentinel”, retorted Orion, “It’s part of our culture, and we should learn more about it to understand our history.”

Ariel didn’t add anything. As much as she liked to discuss about Ancient Cybertron legends with Orion, she knew that him and Sentinel often argued about the importance of history versus the present time, and that by the end of it, neither mech would actually change their opinion. However, for the little care that Sentinel showed for history, he was very knowledgeable about actuality. If you wanted to know what was going on right now, he was the bot you needed to have a chat with.

“But that’s all in the past,” argued Sentinel, “We should focus on the present. Learning more about ancient history and culture won’t stop things like crimes from happening. Hey, speaking of that , have you heard about the recent crystal store robberies? There’s a lot of those lately.”

“I’ve also heard about it. It’s quite alarming”, added Ariel.

“Fortunately, someone caught all the robbers. The police stated that it was a mysterious bot named Rodimus.”

That caught Orion’s attention. A mysterious bot with a designation similar  to ’Optimus’ , the name Primus called him by? Maybe both of them were linked! "Who’s that ‘Rodimus’ ?", he curiously asked.

"You don’t know about him? Oh, right. You wouldn’t know because you’re always buried in those old datapads, ” retorted Sentinel. “Most of what I’ve heard are only rumours, but they all state that he is a famous champion of justice in some kind of strange, sparkly armour. Some bots even say that he’s a special detective from police headquarters and that he has some weird abilities. There are some articles about him, if you ever want to read other things .”

“Someone like that showed up? Do you know what any of his ‘abilities’ are like?”, asked Orion. Perhaps these were the mystical powers his data-pad about the guardians was talking about.

“I don’t know what they are, and I honestly don’t care about some rumoured ‘special abilities’. I’ve heard a little about a weird bow and flashes of light, but I’ll have to see them with my own optics to be convinced that any of these really exist,”, continued Sentinel. “Anyway, not counting these crystal robberies, weird crimes keep happening these days! You really should stop reading these old data-pads sometimes and stay on top of the news. Then maybe you wouldn’t be spacing out so much.”

“Thank you, Sentinel…” That bot really was a jerk sometimes.

“No problem, Orion!” Sentinel beamed, oblivious, and turned his attention to the femme, remembering something “Say, Ariel, aren’t your creators running a crystal garden? You should be more careful. Who knows what these thieves will target next?”

“Yes. Fortunately, our crystal garden wasn’t robbed yet. We’ve improved our security systems in order to catch any intruders.”, responded Ariel. "Actually, we’ve had special sales on some newly budded crystals! You can come take a look at them after classes are dismissed if you’d like.”

“You know I’ll go anywhere with you, Ariel. Are you coming, Orion?”

Orion didn’t have anything better to do after his classes ended, and he really needed to change his mind from all the weird things that were happening to him, so he accepted to invitation without any further thought.

 

* * *

 

The three classmates went to visit Ariel’s creator’s crystal gardens right after their classes ended. They were having a sale, just like the young femme had stated earlier; bots of all kind had come to get themselves some newly-budded, multicoloured crystals to decorate their house units. Sentinel even sneaked in a few words about how Ariel was as beautiful as the gardens, but as usual, she didn’t seem to pay any attention to him and kept looking at the crystals instead. In the end, Sentinel bought a tiny yellow and turquoise-colored bud. As for Orion, he had considered getting a crystal for himself, as his room was pretty dull, but he didn’t have the pocket credits necessary for it at the moment; he had spent them all on new data-pads to complete his personal library a few orns prior.

After their visit, Orion headed straight home. This weird orn had really worn him out, and he felt like taking a stasis-nap or continuing reading his data-pad about the Legendary Guardians. There were a few light-up screens and holograms on the streets about the mysterious Rodimus and his victories against the crystal robbers, but he didn’t pay them much attention. Right now, he just wanted to go home.

Needless to say, after greeting Ratchet when he finally came back, Orion went straight to his room and continued to attempt reading his data-pad.

“ _The Energon Crystal was, according to the legend, a source of great_ _, almost limitless power. It is said to be able to destroy and rebuild entire planets or even universes if in the hands of one who is worthy_ _, and thus only reveals itself to a mech of the greatest wisdom, who becomes the next Prime. However, it mysteriously disappeared after the last victory against the Decepticon invaders and wasn’t heard of since. The Energon crystal--_ ”

Before he could finish reading the sentence, he fell into stasis.

 

* * *

 

Orion was dreaming about the universe again. This time however, instead of dreaming about Primus delivering him a message, he was walking around what looked like a deserted, foggy planet. Once again, he had a beautiful view of the various stars and galaxies surrounding him.

“I’ll never get tired of looking at the universe this way.” He whispered in awe, “It’s relaxing. I feel… safe.”

“And you should. For now, " stated someone behind him. “Soon, the universe won’t be safe anymore. It is up to us, the new Guardians, to protect Cybertron from harm.”

Orion turned around, facing another mech dressed in some weird, orange armour. ”Who are you?”, he asked.

“My name is Rodimus. I was chosen by Primus to be a Guardian, just like you,” the mech smiled. “Look at yourself, and you’ll know what I mean,” he said, pointing at Orion’s spark.

Orion looked at himself. He was wearing some kind of blue and red sparkly armour, composed of a protective pleated skirt with a matching collar, a bow on his neck and back hips and a pair of gloves. A strange, heart-like symbol sat right over his spark casing. The ensemble looked just like the one Rodimus had. If he didn’t know any better, he would also say that he felt taller, flashier and a bit bulkier than usual.

“We share the same destiny,” continued Rodimus. “I’ve been on the move for quite some time, but I can’t wait to finally meet you. I need your help to find the Energon Crystal and to protect our next Prime -- ”

Before Rodimus could finish, Orion’s vision faded to white once again.

 

* * *

 

 “I’ve finally found you, Orion. Or should I say Optimus?”

Orion was hearing things again. He slowly brought his optics online to be greeted with the sight of a tiny light orb similar to the one he saw this morning, sitting near his open window. Actually, if he squinted his optics enough, he could also see some sort of female figure that vaguely seemed to smile.

” What…?” he sleepily asked.

“I said I’ve finally found you ! Primus isn’t exactly good at giving directions,” the figure replied, crossing her peds. “I should have seen it coming. Fortunately, we’re here now, ready to fight the Decepticons!”

“ Fight the Decepticons…?” Orion repeated. Wait, was this weird orb-figure thing actually _talking_ to him? That’s it, he was going back into stasis. He really needed it.

“ I’m going back into stasis,” he groggily stated before turning away, “I’m having one of those weird dreams again. It’s because of this stupid data-pad…”

“Wait, no! Don’t go back into stasis”, hurried the light ball, jumping and floating down from the window to Orion’s face. “I thought Primus had told you about my arrival! At least I hope that he did. Please tell me that he did! Oh, dear , this is awkward…” she rambled.

Feeling the presence of something poking at his faceplate, Orion semi-onlined his optics once again. The tiny figure, who continued to ramble, was extremely close to him. “Are you even listening? Hey! Listen!” , she insisted, knocking at his forehead.

Realizing that the tiny being was actually real was enough to surprise him and make him bolt awake. The data-pad he was reading before fell to the ground with a loud crack , ruining its screen. It was now impossible to read it properly. “Thank Primus you’re awake!” exclaimed the femme, smiling as if she was oblivious of what had just happened.

“What are you doing?”, the young mech accused while sitting on his berth. “Please, don’t do that ever again… Aw, look at that… My data-pad’s screen is now unusable! I’ll have to get a new one if I want to keep reading it!”

The figure rose to Orion’s optic level. “My name is Solus. I am one of those past Guardian’s spirit Primus told you about. I have been looking for you, Orion Pax. Also, I am sorry about your data-pad, but you won’t need to read it anymore. I’ll explain you everything you need to know about the Guardians.”

Taking a closer look at the creature, Orion realized that it was in fact a small cybertronian femme. Her appearance replicated that of an average-sized femme scaled down to the size of his servo . Her silvery white plating with purple accents was complimented by her royal yellow Guardian armour with blue bows, and a flow of what looked like very small and long tubes replicated some sort of hairstyle on her helm that was constantly floating behind her.

“I’m glad we’ve finally met”, she continued, “I was wondering what I’d do if I never found you . Fortunately, I saw you speeding down the road to go to the Academy this morning! I felt like it was destiny. I knew it was you the moment I saw your paint job.”

Orion found the last remark to be weird, but he dismissed it . Right now, he wanted to know more about what the Autobot guardians actually are and what it meant to be one .

“But before we continue this conversation any further and answer every one of your questions“, Solus continued, “I have a present for you! Here, take this!”

Solus jumped into the air, forming a perfect, graceful somersault. Upon completing her figure, a swirl of light appeared, summoning what could be best described as a shimmery hammer. Before Orion could ask what it was, Solus slammed the hammer near his spark with both servos, creating an intense flash of light. In an instant, a brooch-like object softly landed on Orion’s lap.

Orion gently took the golden, shimmery thing in his servos, bringing it to his optics to examine it. Its shape was similar to that of a heart, but if you inspected it closer, its intricate details looked like they formed a stylized Cybertronian faceplate. The young mech still couldn’t quite define what it was. “What is it? It looks like some sort of jewelry”, he inquired.

“It’s your new Autobot insignia. I’ve made it for you with my forge. It is what will grant you the powers of a Guardian” boasted the tiny femme, puffing her chestplate. “It’s one of my best creations, so I hope you like it!”

Orion wasn’t really into jewelry and decorative fashion, but he had to admit that Solus’s insignia was beautifully made. It wasn’t too flashy either, and actually matched his current paint job quite well, so he wouldn’t have to worry about standing out if he ever had to wear it constantly.

“Orion Pax, you’ve been chosen as a guardian, and it is now time for you to face your destiny”, Solus went on while Orion admired his present. “There are a string of odd crimes being committed on Cybertron, and the police bots won’t be able to solve them. You have a great duty, you know! You have to gather your allies and defeat our enemies. You must also discover our Prime and protect the Crystal that he or she will bear. But I’m sure that Primus had already warned you about that…”

Before she could continue any further, explaining what Orion’s duty would be, she was interrupted by her new protégé. “Solus, your creation started shining!”, he panicked as the jewel kept getting brighter and brighter. “What happened ? Did I do something wrong?”

“That’s a good sign! It confirms that you are one of the chosen!”, Solus grinned. This was the moment she had been waiting for! “Now, yell ‘Autobot, transform and roll out!’”, she exclaimed, bringing her servos into the air.

Orion couldn’t do anything but comply. If this was going to be his destiny, he might as well take it head-on. Not to mention that he was also very curious about what the powers of a Guardian would be . “Autobot…” he cautiously started, “… Transform and roll out!”, he finished with confidence, slapping the jewel on his spark chamber.

As if on cue, sparkling ribbons surged from Orion’s chest, gently enveloping his whole form. Orion could feel the energy building inside , as if he was becoming more and more powerful. It wasn’t overwhelming. In fact, it almost felt natural, as if he had known this sensation his whole life. As the ribbons unwrapped, new pieces of colourful armour appeared; a new pair of heeled peds, a blue pleated skirt, two magenta protective bows, a collar and what looked like a pair of gloves completed his attire. The transformation had also made him bulkier, taller and squarer, with broader shoulders and a more pronounced waist and chest. He also felt like his helm and audio-receptors were heavier than before and that something was tickling the inside of his cheek plates. As soon as his first transformation had finished, the young mech ran to his mirror with anticipation .

Orion couldn’t believe his optics. He looked just like a grown mech, and the strange armour that had appeared was the exact same as the one he dreamed about when he met Rodimus. The only thing that remained of his original self was the similar color of his paint job.

Seeing that Orion was completely entranced by his new appearance, Solus felt the need to speak up. “What’s wrong, Optimus? You aren’t saying anything,” she cautiously asked, breaking the silence. Was he going to refuse his role as a Guardian? “Are you okay? Do you not like this new armour?”

There was a long pause before Orion finally spoke up. “Do I _have_ to go out and save Cybertron with this flashy armour on?”

Relieved that this was all the mech was worried about, the femme relaxed, floating into a sitting position right next to him. At least the young mech didn’t seem to dread being a Guardian; if so, she wouldn’t be able to teach him anything. “Yes. As flashy as you think it is, this armour is the only thing that can fully protect you against the Decepticons. If you don’t have it on, you will most likely melt into a pile of scrap the moment you get hit”, she half-joked.

“Really?” gulped Orion. She had just managed to scare him. She’d have to remember that Orion was the kind of bot that understood everything he was told at face value .

“No”, she immediately reassured the mech. “I’m only exaggerating, but the bottom line is that it is the only true protection you have against them.”

“What about being named ‘Optimus’?”

“It’s your Guardian’s name. It’s meant to protect your identity as Orion Pax.”

Before Orion could continue asking questions, he heard a sharp knock at the door.

“Kid, are you alright? I’ve heard loud noises. Have you fallen from your berth again?” he asked. Orion knew that the old mech was only concerned about him, but he sounded more like a general accusing his soldiers than a genuinely concerned bot.

“Who’s that ?”, curiously asked Solus, tilting her helm towards the door. “Can I see him?”

“ Shh, be quiet ! He’ll hear you!” softly ordered Orion, covering Solus with his servos. He had learned a long time ago that Ratchet had perhaps the most sensitive audio receptors he had known of. That particular trait hadn’t faded with age and had been used multiple times against him during his sparklinghood.

“Kid, who are you talking to?” Ratchet grumbled. “You didn’t tell me you had a guest! That’s it, I’m coming in!” he said, reaching for the berthroom’s door.

Orion froze in place while Solus was still attempting to reach the door. If he didn’t act quickly, Ratchet was going to blow his cover ! And the old mech seeing him in a tiny mini skirt, even if it was armour, was the very last thing he wanted!

There were only two options. He either had to let Ratchet know what his new identity and responsibilities were, or create some sort of half-processed excuse to save his aft from certain humiliation.

And he had to pick one, fast.


	2. Optimus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orion Pax, disguised as Optimus, must fight against a Decepticon for the first time! Will he succeed in saving his best friend, or is he doomed to failure?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took forever.
> 
> I know I said I was going to share chapter two in July, but me and Kirkeyessa had adult things to take care of before being able to complete it. I work full time and she is currently going to university, so we don't have that much time on our hands to make this happen. I suspect that this first fic will take a lot of time to be completed! That being said, we'll do our best to deliver great chapters every single time, and the next few chapters are well on their way. 
> 
> Like last time, if you like having background music while reading fics, I recommend listening to your favourite Sailor Moon OST! Make sure that you pick the more action-oriented tracks, because there will be vilains in this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy your read!

What Ratchet found when entering Orion’s berth room couldn’t have been more familiar. There was his charge, half-lying on his berth and on the floor like he had just fallen while recharging, with a myriad of data pads surrounding him. The kid looked at him so innocently that anyone else would have believed the setup.

“Kid, how many times do I have to tell you to stop reading in those weird positions? You know it’s not good for your spinal struts, or any part of you for that matter! Now get off the floor and go back to bed, it’s late!“ he ordered.

“Oh, um, yes... Of course, Ratchet!” The young mech hurriedly turned off his data pad. “Have a good night! “ He smiled, trying to pick himself up from the floor.

“Yeah…. good night,” grumbled the doctor. “And don’t fall of your berth again! “, he scolded, finally closing the door to the berth room and regaining his composure.

Still deep in thought, Ratchet walked back to his quarters. Orion was hiding something important from him; he had known the kid for too long to recognize when a smile of his was faked. For now, he wasn’t going to pry into his business. He was tired from his work day and didn’t have the energy or the will to deal with Orion at the moment. He trusted him enough to wait for him to tell the truth in due time.

Hopefully.

 

* * *

 

Orion had automatically changed back into Optimus as soon as Ratchet had left.

  
“Do you think he bought it…?“ asked Solus. “There was no need to make a scene, you know. I am invisible to bots other than the chosen ones, and you can practically de-transform on a whim to conceal your identity!“

“I don’t know, Solus. I’ve known Ratchet for a very long time. I doubt that he’ll buy the charade for long...“ said Optimus while finally getting back on his peds. “I’ll have to tell him the truth eventually.“

“Maybe, but for now you should be a Guardian in disguise for as long as you can! Who knows what could happen if the Decepticons find out who you really are? The consequences would be disastrous!”

“I’m not sure that hiding something this important from Rachet will be good in the long run,“ maintained Optimus.

Not a moment later, Optimus started hearing buzzing sounds coming from his upgraded audio receptors. In the static, he could faintly hear a voice pleading for help. 

“Help me…! Somebody help me! My creator is… my creator is trying to terminate me!…” it said over and over.

Optimus instantly recognized the voice of his best friend. “I can hear Ariel’s voice! I don’t fully understand what she’s saying, but she seems to be in danger!” he exclaimed. That didn’t explain how he could hear her so clearly, however.

“Your transformation granted you high-performance audio-receptors. That is why you can hear your friend calling for help,” responded Solus. “Whenever a bot is in danger because of the Decepticons, you’ll be able to hear their pleas and dispense justice accordingly! Isn’t this feature useful? I’ve added it in myself!”, she said proudly.

Optimus ignored Solus’ enthusiastic boast. There was no time for chatting; his friend’s life was in grave danger! “Come on, Solus, we have to help her!” Optimus ran to the window, grabbing his work chair to prepare himself to jump.

“We’ll talk about your additions to this armor later!” Optimus added as Solus to the window. “For now, let’s roll to the rescue!”

Both robots disappeared through the window in the middle of the night, illuminated by the radiant white glow of the twin moons, Luna-1 and Luna-2. Optimus drove as fast as his engine would allow to Ariel’s house unit at the crystal gardens with Solus following suit.

 

* * *

 

Ariel was completely helpless, dwarfed and ensnared by a giant, deformed cybertronian. It almost resembled the femme’s creator, like a glitched datapad’s rendering. Its optics were as wide and void of life as a black hole, and its teeth extremely sharp. Metal tentacles sprouted out of his back and acted as extra limbs to free his feral, clawed servos. A strange, shining stone adorned its forehead.

“Creator…! What are you doing?! Let me go!”, growled Ariel, looking directly in the empty optics of her assailant.

“Foolish femme, I am not your creator. Your creator died of starvation in the basement a long time ago!”, snarled the hideous robot. “ Now surrender your spark energy to me!”

“Never!”, screamed Ariel, attempting to struggle free. Her captor, inching closer, recieved a well placed foot in the optic.

The monster screeched in pain and recoiled. His soulless gaze and gnarled fangs would have given Unicron nightmares. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” He raised all of his appendages, ready to strike. Ariel tried to get up, but in vain.

“...Well you won’t be for much longer!”, the creature roared, pinning the young lady to the wall.

The monster was now holding his prey by her neck cables, his extra limbs rendering escape impossible. It tightened his grip, making the young femme whimper. “Not so confident now, are you?”, it hissed.

Ariel pleaded the monster to let her go. How was she supposed to defend herself in this situation? She should have guessed that her creator had disappeared a long time ago, but the spark eater’s disguise had been extremely convincing. “Somebody help me! Anybody!”, she cried.

Right on cue, a shadowed figure suddenly barged through the window, breaking it into a million pieces. The glass shards shone in the moonlight, sparkling around the figure, trailing behind as it landed gracefully some distance away from the fight.

The figure cleared its throat. “Get away from Ariel, you monstrous fiend!”, it ordered, pointing a finger towards the enemy.

Time froze for a few seconds as the villain, the victim and the pretending hero looked at each other, all surprised by their arrival and appearance.

“Who do you think you are?”, demanded the monster, breaking the silence. “Go back where you came from! I have sparks to harvest for master Starscream!” He turned back to his victim. Ariel could only stare wide-eyed and shivering at her attacker’s hideous visage.

“Say something, Optimus!”, pleaded Solus. “Do it before this… spark-eater gets closer to your friend!”

“Me? I am… uh…” Optimus stumbled. An introduction speech wasn’t part of his plan; he had to improvise something to distract the monster from ripping his friend’s spark.

“I am an Autobot, guardian of love and justice!”, he shouted, “ My name is Optimus, and in the name of Cybertron, I will punish you!” Optimus striked a flashy pose, perfectly framed by Cybertron’s twin moons. The whole scene looked surreal.

“That’s the spirit, Optimus! Now get him!” , encouraged Solus, taking cover under the bow stuck to the mech’s chestplate.

“An Autobot?! I’ve never heard of such a thing!”, raged the spark eater, tightening his grip on a struggling Ariel. “Awaken, slaves! We must send our energy to our master, and get rid of this threat!”, he roared, raising his free servo into the air to summon his other victims and the other to muffle Ariel’s shouting.

Not too long after the horrid mech’s invocation, bots from all over town came to the house unit, each looking more brainwashed than the other. Much like the spark eater, their optics were void of life, their gaze sucking you in when you looked at them. Their spark chambers were open and hollow, proving that their sparks had been stolen by the spark eater not too long ago. Their paint jobs were flaked and dull, becoming grayer by the second as their life source was being digested by the monster. They moaned and groaned constantly, sometimes muttering “energy...” like a hungry pack of turbofoxes. Nothing remained but a shell of their former selves.

Optimus recognized most of them; they were all bots who had come to the crystal sale during the afternoon and bought products. Even Sentinel was here!

“Kill him!”, ordered the monster, taking a broken crystal and striking it towards Optimus along with his army of slaves.

The attack took Optimus by surprise; he barely managed to dodge before stumbling on his heeled peds and falling to the ground, chipping his knee’s paint in the process. The robot slaves surrounded him, successfully cornering Optimus. They outstretched their graying, rusting servos to his spark chamber, seemingly trying to pry it open with little success. Optimus, slowly backing into the corner to avoid contact, was completely clueless about what to do next. He had no idea what to do! He had never once been in a real fight before.

The young Guardian was frozen in place, unable to process the reality of the situation. Much like Ariel, his eyes were wide with fear. Now a victim to the spark eater, Optimus couldn’t help but tremble as well, unable to say anything, as the brainwashed slaves slowly got closer and closer to him with filthy servos, still moaning and grunting about the energy they had to gather for their master.

“Optimus, do something!”, shouted Solus, coming out of her hiding place. “You have to save your friend! Her life is at stake, and so is everyone else’s!”, She was clutching the bow frantically, keeping eye contact with her charge.

“…I’m leaking Energon!”, Optimus replied, somewhat coming back to his senses.

“Yes, yes you are!”, confirmed Solus, “But you have to fight! Take those enemies down!”, she continued, pointing towards the slaves. “No one else but you can!”

“But these are all bots I know! They’re not mindless drones… I can’t just fight them”, he argued. “I can’t terminate my friends!”

Both partners were now shouting angrily at each other, forgetting that the spark eater was still trapping Ariel and that the slaves were still approaching, reaching their servos towards Optimus in an attempt to immobilize him. Sentinel was especially close to Optimus, his servos reaching towards his frame to immobilize him. “They aren’t the people you once knew, Optimus! You must purify them!” Solus yelled.

As both robots were still continuing to argue and the slaves continued to corner the two of them, the spark eater was slowly approaching Ariel’s spark casing. It opened its mouth wider and wider, until its jaw broke with a sickly cracking sound. Multiple sparks could be seen trapped inside his chassis. Finally mustering the courage and managing to wriggle out off the servo blocking her mouth, she yelled with all the energy she had. “You can do it, Optimus! Don’t Give up! Don’t -”

“Shut up!”, growled the monster, banging Ariel on the wall with his tentacles to knock her out. The young femme survived the impact, a strangely literal testament to her hard-headedness.

“There is no time, Optimus! You have to fight!”, hurried Solus.

“Easy for you to say! You aren’t the one doing the actual fighting!”, snapped Optimus, clenching his fists. “I don’t know how to fight him back! What am I supposed to do, kick him and hope for the best?!”, he shouted. Optimus’s emotions were now spiralling out of control as he continued to yell at Solus. “Why do I have to do this? Why would Primus choose me, when there are so many robots more suited to this job than I am? Tell me, Solus! There’s so many of them, I… I can’t do it! I am going to fail!”

The anger and fear in his voice and the continuous shouting created a strange, extremely high sound emitted by his enhanced audio-receptors, catching the spark-eater and his slaves off-guard.

“Arg…! I’m feeling numb! What are these sudden high-frequency waves?”, yelped the monster, covering his audio receptors with both servos and all four of his tentacles to relieve the pain. Ariel, fell to the floor, limp but conscious, with the other bots collapsing to the ground around Optimus, also moaning in discomfort.

“It’s now or never, Optimus!”, yelled Solus to her charge. “Get back on your peds!”, she ordered. The young bot complied to her order, still angry at her but somewhat surprised that he had somehow managed to take the monster off-guard. “Now, Optimus! Grab your battle mask and throw it at the enemy while it’s stunned!”, she ordered.

“I have a battle mask?” Optimus felt his tingling cheek plates with the tip of his servos to find the device. “Why haven’t you told me sooner?”, he snapped, still angry at Solus.

“Yes, it’s in your cheek plates! Summon it quickly before the enemy attacks again! Just do it already!”, hurried Solus.

The tickling sensation in Optimus’s cheek plates intensified until a grey battle mask suddenly appeared, fitting his faceplates perfectly. Acting on instinct, Optimus tapped the front of the mask, transforming it into a spinning light disk hovering in his servo.

Steadying himself in a wide stance, Optimus turned his torso to give momentum to his new weapon. “Cyber Mask Boomerang!!”, he yelled into the air, spinning to launch the sharp disc at the enemy.

The spark eater was completely taken off-guard. He was clutching his head, still trying to relieve the pain inflicted to his audio-receptors. Before it could see what was coming, the disc tore the monster in two, making it howl in pain and anger before it started to crumble into dust with an agonizing cry.

“My master… will be back for you…! You’ll pay for this insult to the Decepticons!”, it roared before collapsing and releasing all of the captured sparks, leaving only a small crystal on the floor.

The robot slaves were now fainting one after the other, their sparks returning to them. Optimus stood in the middle of the victims, tired and panting. The light disc returned to his faceplates, recreating the mask before it retracted into his cheek plates. Still worried about his friend, Optimus ran towards Ariel, crushing the small stone left by the spark eater in the process. Solus followed him closely.

“Was that catch phrase really necessary? You could have just thrown your mask at the enemy,” she said, breaking the silence while Optimus laid Ariel on the floor. Thankfully, his friend didn’t look like she had taken much damage, but Optimus knew that he would have to call the authorities before leaving. Better safe than sorry.

“Anyway, well done, Optimus! I knew you could do it!”, smiled Solus, striking a victory pose. Optimus smiled back at her while calling the authorities, alerting them about a group of bots being found unconscious at the crystal gardens. The officer hadn’t had the time to ask for Optimus’ identity before he had hung up on them. All that was left to do was for him and Solus to leave the scene without a trace.

“You just hid behind me the whole time I was fighting,” sighed Optimus, getting back up after finishing his call. “You could have at least told me that I had an actual weapon before throwing me into a fight, you know! It could have helped.”

“Yes, but… you do realize the situation now. That monster turned into Ariel’s creator to better infiltrate our world,” stated Solus, looking at Optimus directly into his optics with resolve. “Let’s quickly go home before everyone wakes up. We wouldn’t want someone else almost finding out about you today.” Solus flew towards the now broken window. Optimus followed suit, jumping out and transforming into a truck in mid-air. The Guardian and his teacher rolled back home, disappearing into the moonlight.

They didn’t hear Ariel mumbling a thank you in her half-conscious state nor the shouts of her actual creator coming from the basement before they left.

 

* * *

 

There was an alternate dimension sealed away from Cybertron, void from any other life forms than those who inhabited it. In this seemingly endless space of rocks and darkness, huge, gruesome stalactites of stone and impure crystals and ruined towers rose from the ground and hung from the ceiling. Drops of what seemed to be energon constantly fell to the ground, forming myriads of glowing puddles and creating a constant, irritating noise. This was Kaon - or what was left of it. If it wasn’t for the fact that the ancient Decepticon nation had been trapped ever since their constant defeat against the Autobots, Kaon would probably still be a prosperous citadel, as it once was.

In the center of the chaos where infinite silence and darkness now ruled, there was what seemed to be an immense, luxurious fortress, meant for the leader of the former of Kaon and its mighty Decepticon army . However, that same building was now in complete ruins, much like the rest of the city. It was a proof of their humiliating loss against the past Primes and their puny Autonomous Robotic Lifeforms.

This is where Megatron, the newest leader of the Decepticons, led his troops and terrified servants with an iron fist.

Megatron, sitting in his gigantic throne, was one of the largest Decepticons, towering over most of his subordinates, save for a few. His spiked armour gave him a menacing, but regal appearance, complemented by the red paint decorating his otherwise gray and black frame. The Decepticon symbol shone proudly on his spark casing. A large crystal ball floated right in front of him, letting the warlord know what had happened to his second-in-command’s incompetent slave.

“Starscream! This young robot who stopped our army... You said his name was Optimus?”, he stated while constantly looking at his crystal orb with piercing red optics, annoyed by the events.

Standing in front of Megatron was Starscream, his second in command and representative of the former city of Vos. His large pair of gray seeker wings bore the Decepticon symbol and purple stripes, making him instantly recognizable. The color of his frame matched his wings. He also had a pair of heeled peds, which his subordinates suspected were for making the seeker look taller than he actually was. Not that he could ever be bigger than the warlord, but they made him feel more powerful, so to speak.

“Yes, lord Megatron,” Starscream grovelled, bowing in front of his Lord. “Fortunately, this pretended Autobot is far from his prime. I, Starscream, your loyal second in command, will take care of him quickly.”

“Of course you will... Remember that I must obtain the Energon Crystal… our master cannot wait any longer. He needs the energy. You and your subordinates have failed at this simple task too many times already!”

Understanding that this one-sided discussion was now over, Starscream rose from the ground, bowing one last time in front of his master. “As you wish, Lord Megatron.”

Turning away from the warlord with servos crossed behind his back, Starcream calmly went out of the throne room. As he walked, the soft clicking of his heels echoed through the abandoned ruins. After a few minutes, he had reached the rest of what had once been a beautiful crystal garden. The place was now too dark, grim and unkept by its visitors for it to grow any of the crystal beauties anymore.

Certain that he was now alone, Starscream’s voice rang throughout the decrepit gardens. “Fear not, Lord Megatron, I will quickly find the Energon Crystal… for as soon as it is in my grasp, I will dethrone you and lead the Decepticons!”

 

* * *

 

The next orn, during refuel break, Ariel tried to explain to Sentinel what she went through. However, because she had passed out during the events, it was difficult for her to describe what exactly had happened. “And then, we were attacked by some sort of monster crystal robber spark eater thing, but then a bot in a strange sparkly armour came up and saved us! If I hadn’t passed out, I might have had a better look at his faceplates!”, she exclaimed, gesticulating her servos for emphasis. Too bad her friend wasn’t believing half of it.

Sentinel, being true to himself, listened to the young femme’s every word, but he couldn’t help but laugh at how ludicrous her story was. “No offense Ariel, but are you sure that you weren’t dreaming?”, he chuckled.

“What? No, of course I wasn’t!”, Ariel retorted, shooting up from her seat and putting her servos on her hips. “I swear it’s the truth! Stop laughing, Sentinel! You were here too, remember?”

The mech continued to laugh for a minute before he could finally calm down, yawning. “Whatever. Dream or not, I’m just glad you’re safe.” The mech had no recollection of the events; all he knew was that he had woken up in the crystal gardens for some reason. He hadn’t given much thought to it afterwards since his memories were fuzzy as best.

As Ariel and Sentinel continued half arguing about whether or not the events were true, Orion was observing them from a distance. Solus was sitting on his shoulders, as if she and Orion had been friends for a very long time.

The truth was, Orion wasn’t sure how to discuss with his friends anymore. He now had his golden Autobot insignia stuck on his chest, and as if it wasn’t enough, he had been the one who saved Ariel the orn before. What was he supposed to tell her? That he had been the sparkly, entirely different mech that had jumped into the action? He didn’t like the idea of lying to her either. Needless to say, things were getting way more complicated than Orion had anticipated when he transformed for the first time, and in his spark, he knew that it was only going to get worse.

“What’s up, Orion? You seem thoughtful,” asked Solus, worried.

Orion let his optics wander towards the ground. “Nothing,” he sighed, “it’s just that, well… I can’t believe that there’s actually a war happening, and that I am the one who’s supposed to put an end to it.”

“Don’t worry, Orion. We still have time to figure everything out. In the meantime, we can find out who the other guardians are!”, she encouraged, raising her fists. “We can do it!”.

Orion raised his helm high again. Solus was right; if there was anything they could do at the moment, it was finding out who and where his Autobot comrades were. As he turned away from the sight of his classmates, who were still oblivious to his presence, Orion knew one thing; the Decepticons had started a new war for their home planet, and they were going to do anything in their power to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes, it's hard believing in yourself. But you never know what the real you can do! Set your heart on it, and everything is possible!" -Sailor Moon
> 
> See you next time for chapter three!


End file.
